November 17th, 2006
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Coconut Tempters
2 c. sugar
½ c. cocoa
½ c. milk
½ c. butter
½ c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
3 c. quick cooking oatmeal
½ c. coconut (optional, but yummy)
Place sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a medium saucepan and cook to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stir until dissolved. Pour over oatmeal and coconut and mix thoroughly, then beat until mixture begins to thicken. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper or silpat and let cool.
A decadent and delicious recipe for Three Layer Bars (also called Nainamo Bars in other parts of the country/world) can be found here on my site . My mother made these bars every Christmas and they are a wonderful treat. I make them at Christmas time for the family still. We all just love them. Another treat from my childhood is Coffee Toffee Bars. I am not sure why they have ‘Toffee’ in the title, as there is nothing even remotely like toffee in them. They are a delightful chocolate/almond/mocha flavored shortbread with a thin and delicate almond glaze over the top. My mom had a specific jelly roll pan that she made them in, and we never referred to it any other way than “the Coffee Toffee bar pan”. It was a heavy steel pan, worn and well used with ornate curved handles. I wish with everything that I am that I still had that pan.
Coffee Toffee Bars
2 ¼ c. sifted flour
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 c. butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. almond extract
1 T. instant coffee
1 pkg. chocolate chips
Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Cream butter. Add brown sugar and cream well. Blend in almond extract and instant coffee. Add dry ingredients, then chocolate chips. Press into cake pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degree.
Almond Glaze (double all ingredients)
Combine 1 T soft butter, ¾ c. powdered sugar, 1/8 t. almond extract. Add 1 T. milk until frosting is of spreading consistency. Frost bars while still warm.
Here’s a refrigerator dough cookie, delicately flavored and just fabulous. They would be delicious using real lemon juice instead of extract, and possibly a little lemon zest as well.
Lemon Crisps
½ c. butter
½ c. shortening
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ t. lemon extract
3 c. sifted flour
3 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in each egg, then flavoring. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Form dough into rolls, 2 “ in diameter, wrap in wax paper then chill overnight. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into thin wafers and bake approximately 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Keep dough chilled between baking.
Some call them Molasses Cookies, others call them Gingersnaps. We used the latter, and this recipe is wonderful. It was one of my Mom’s favorites. We always made a double batch. Gingersnaps: Combine 3/4 c. shortening, 1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed and 1 egg until fluffy. Add ¼ c molasses and beat well. Mix together 2 c. sifted flour, ¼ t. salt, 2 t. baking soda, 1 t. each ginger and cinnamon and ½ t. cloves. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Chill dough for several hours or overnight. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake 12-15 minutes at 350° F.
One more…..another of our favorites growing up. I could eat a whole pan of these.
Peanut Butter Fingers (double all ingredients for a 9×13 pan): Cream together: ½ c butter, ½ c sugar, ½ c brown sugar, firmly packed. Blend in: 1 unbeaten egg, 1/3 c. peanut butter, ½ t. baking soda , ¼ t. salt. Stir in: 1 c. flour, 1 c. quick cooking oatmeal. Spread mix in 8″ cake pan and bake 20-25 minutes at 350° F. Sprinkle with chocolate chips when hot and spread evenly when melted.
October 26th, 2006
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Chewy Cheesecake Cookies (NOT a low fat recipe)
Blend together one stick of room temperature butter (no subs!), with one 3-oz package of softened cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add in one cup of white sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in one cup of AP flour until incorporated. Do not overmix. Scoop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets and bake at 375 until slightly browned around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool for several minutes before removing them from the sheets.
October 18th, 2006
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Enchiladas
Saute one pound of chicken strips or boneless chicken breast until browned, and most of pink is gone. Remove from pan, allow to cool slightly and chop into bite sized pieces. Add one medium chopped onion to pan and saute 5 minutes. Add two chopped bell pepper of your choice and saute 5 more minutes. Stir in one can drained (not rinsed) black beans, one can drained tomatoes, one can drained hominy and one can chopped green chilies. Cook for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan and fill with about a half cup of filling. Sprinkle on about 2 tbsp. shredded cheese. Roll up tightly with the seam down. Repeat until pan is full, or you run out of tortillas or filling. (as an aside- this filling tasted wonderful on a tortilla chip, and we saved some of it for munching!) Pour enchilada sauce over top and add shredded cheese. Bake at 375d until hot and bubbly.
This would be just as good without chicken, and the vegetables can be modified to whatever you like. I have used zucchini, frozen corn and chunks of leftover squash with equally good results. It’s all about what you like.
October 3rd, 2006
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Pumpkin Maple Muffins
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour (or substitute any whole wheat flour)
1/2 C. pecan meal (1.5 oz. pecans, ground)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
In a separate bowl, whisk together these ingredients:
1/3 C. maple syrup
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. pumpkin puree (I use canned)
1/2 C. buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/3 C. raisins
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Immediately spoon batter into a greased 12-cup muffin tin.
- Place in the center of a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Check muffins after 20 minutes, muffins are done when you lightly touch the top of one of the muffins and it springs back.
- Let cool for five minutes in the pan and then remove muffins and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Here’s what I did differently. I had no pecans, and I am not a huge fan of them (my mother was the Pecan Queen in a previous life, and then she became my mom and made everything with pecans….I, however, have a choice now) but I did have almonds so I ground up those and used those instead. I had no real buttermilk, so I did the milk/vinegar trick. I used 2 tbsp. of butter instead of 4, and subbed in some unsweetened applesauce and of course, since I am a flaxseed freak, I ground 2 tbsp. of those little beauties and added them too. I skipped the raisins.
FABULOUS…moist, earthy, wholesome, grain-goodness and so flavorful.
And the best part, naturally, Griffin took one bite of a ‘warm from the oven’ specimen and fell over on the carpet, rolling around moaning. He is following his Mom’s footsteps in his passionnate love for anything food. Plus, he really doesn’t like pecans.
recipe from Nicole, of Pinch My Salt food blog
September 19th, 2006
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Strawberry Banana Bread
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. oil
¾ c. unsweetened applesauce
¼ c. vanilla yogurt
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. mashed strawberries
2 mashed ripe bananas
Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix oil and eggs until blended slightly, add to dry and stir together until blended. Stir in fruit. Bake in two standard greased loaf pans at 350° for approximately one hour. Cool in pans, then on cooling rack.
September 18th, 2006
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Poblano Rice with Vegetables
2 fresh poblano peppers
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. milk
2 c. long grain rice
2 t. cooking oil
2 c. chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot (or equiv. of shredded)
2 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf
Halve seed and core the poblano peppers, rub with oil and broil until skins are blistered. Place peppers in bowl and cover to steam. When cooled completely, remove skins and chop.
Rinse corn under cool water to thaw slightly, and then place corn and milk in blender and process until smooth, set aside. In a large skillet with a tight lid, sauté onion in oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini, carrot and peppers, sauté another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove vegetables to bowl. Add rice to pan and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Add in vegetables and stir to combine. Slowly pour in corn/milk mix, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer, covered until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir to fluff. Remove bay leaf before serving.
The original of this recipe came from AllRecipes.com but has undergone the Extreme Recipe Makeover edition in my kitchen, as most recipes do when they get in my eager little hands. There are a few critical steps to this recipe that really add to the final taste that shouldn’t be skipped, namely the pepper roasting and the corn and milk mixture. It may add a bit of extra time, but the final result is worth it. You can alter the amount of rice to suit your needs, but make sure as a rule that you double the liquid, using the corn/milk mix as part of that. The added veggies can be suited to your tastes as well. These are from the original recipe, I have subbed shredded carrot for the diced with good results.
September 15th, 2006
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This was a question that I encountered quite often in my days working customer service for a produce company. Apparently, true yams are only found in South America and they are starchy, hard to digest and not very user friendly; what we have here in the States that is labled a yam is actually a different species of sweet potato. Whatever they are called, I love the ones named Red Garnets. They make the most succulent mashed potato blended with yukon golds; the bake well, roast well and can be utilized in many, many ways. Sweet potatoes are more like a russet in texture; mealy and with a bit of sweet taste. The Red Garnets are super moist (make sure you bake them on a foil lined cookie sheet to catch their sugars as they carmelize or your smoke detector will rage) very deep orangey red and with a concentrated sweet flavor. And, they are also one of The 12 Best Foods and this is what the book says about them:
” Packed with more beta carotene than carrots and containing more antioxidant punch than winter squashes, sweet potatoes and the deep orange fleshed variety we call yams are terrific for boosting the immune system, reducing LDL cholesterol and can help fight off age related cataracts and a certain number of cancers. A lower glycemic index makes them a good choice for avoiding insulin resistance and they are loaded with minerals, including potassium; and they have vitamin B,C and folate.”
I have found that people either love sweet potatoes/yams or they don’t. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. I have only started eating them within the last two years, before that I was not a fan but since they offer up such a healthy plate, I thought I owed it to myself and my health to get to know them better. Now my Thanksgiving potatoes include yams, and we eat them pretty often when the weather turns colder.
Sweet Potato Butter
Wash 4 Beauregard, Garnet or Jewel yams, prick with a fork and coat them lightly with olive oil. Remove the papery layer of 1 medium onion, slice in half and coat with oil. Fold the onion up in a square of foil, add 4 garlic cloves still with paper layers attached. Cover a baking sheet with foil, add yams and onion pack, roasting at 400d until yams can be easily pierced with a fork. Cool, peel and process yams, onions and garlic in food processor with 1/4 c. olive oil, 4 T. tahini, salt and pepper to taste. Chill well.
Beautifully roasted yams, onions and garlic smelling fabulous
Peeled, whirred and seasoned and whirred and stirred and seasoned….and voila!!
This has a texture similar to hummus but it is all yam flavored and sweet. I added a handful of dried cranberries to it to liven it up some, I think dried cherries would be just as yummy. It was smooth with hints of the roasted garlic, some of the mild onion taste and the tart little bite of the cranberry. I had some with toasted pita bread, and plan to serve it with celery, baby carrots and the pitas. If no one eats it, too bad for them and way good for me!
(NOTE: My apologies to Jeff, at C is for Cooking, as he requested rather tongue in cheek with regards to my Harvest Stew, that I no longer make any naughtay posts about good lookin’ veggies. Sorry Man!!!! Are naughtay posts about good lookin’ fruits and legumes OK, though? What would Steph say?!?!?)
September 15th, 2006
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Dana Jacobi’s cookbook, The 12 Best Foods has this to say about black beans:
“Black beans are high in folate and rank among the top legumes for antioxidants and fiber, lowering cholesterol and LDL levels, scavenging free radicals, moderating insulin levels and reducing cancer risk.”
Well, right on then, let’s eat!!
Black Bean and Mango Salsa
Combine the following: 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained. 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced, 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced, 1 ripe mango, diced, 1 navel orange, peeled and diced, juice and zest of 1 lime, 3-4 T. chopped fresh cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.
Stir together in a large bowl and refrigerate to blend flavors. Serve with chips, pita chips or bagel crisps.
This salsa is heavenly; fresh, fruity, flavorful and so easy to make. Be sure to stir it up ahead of time to allow flavors to blend, it is definitely worth it. No matter where I take it, I always come home with an empty bowl and someone will always tell me “Hey! That’s not salsa!!” to which I scoff and simply say “Then leave it for me!!”
Here the tomato is diced and ready to add to the mango and black beans. The jalapeno awaits!
My repetitive stress injured wrists REALLY love this citrus squeezer!! It turns the fruit inside out and gets a great amount of juice, AND the good folks at Cooks Illustrated endorsed it so you know it must be good! And the zest is lovely in bowl, don’t you think?? (gee….my hand looks FAT in this picture!! It’s really NOT!)
Behold the Black Bean!! Yum! Healthy!!
September 10th, 2006
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Harvest Stew
1# pork loin or roast, cut into 1” pieces with fat trimmed; 2 small onions, diced; 1 medium apple, peeled and diced; 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes with juice; 1 14-oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed.
Peel and dice the following:
2 red garnet yams, 3 medium carrots, 2 parsnips
Toss together in a plastic bag with 4-6 small cloves of garlic, 2 T. canola oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast on parchment covered cookie sheet at 400° until fork tender.
Sauté onion until slightly browned. Remove from pan. Sauté pork until browned, draining off any liquid. If desired, add about 1 c. rich red wine and reduce to half. Add back in onions, apple and tomatoes with their juice. Rinse the tomato can with a cup of water and add that as well. Simmer, covered, until meat is fork tender. Stir in vegetables and beans and heat through. Thicken with a flour/water slurry if desired.
September 9th, 2006
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Applesauce Spice Cake
4 T. real butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. water
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 c. flour (use half whole wheat if you wish)
2 T. ground flaxseed
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. each nutmeg, allspice and ginger
Blend all dry ingredients together. Cream sugar and butter until smooth then add in egg, water and applesauce and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated and slightly fluffy. Spray an 8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in batter, bake in a 350d oven 30-35 minutes, or until tested done.
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